The present invention relates to an analyzing apparatus capable of agitating a reaction solution and, more particularly, to an analyzing apparatus having a function for agitating a mixture of a sample and a reagent in a reaction container.
Conventionally, analyzing apparatus having an agitating function are so arranged that a plurality of reaction containers are successively brought to a stirring position and the contents of the successive reaction containers are agitated by the same agitating bar. An example of such analyzing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 57-82769. With this arrangement, the analysis is unfavorably affected by carry-over of the reaction solutions which inevitably takes place due to the common use of the same agitating bar. In order to obviate this problem, attempts have been made for agitating the reaction solutions in a non-contacting manner. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-42325 discloses an analyzing apparatus in which a disk is disposed on the radially inner side of a circumferential row of a plurality of reaction containers arranged on a turn table such that the disk contacts the wall of the reaction containers. The reaction containers are rotated as the disk is rotated reciprocatingly. This arrangement does not employ an agitating bar.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 52-143551 discloses an agitating system, though this system is not provided with an analyzing function. This system has a multiplicity of dilution chambers arranged in X- and Y-directions on a rectangular plastic plate and the solutions in the chambers are agitated as the plate is vibrated in the X-direction. Since the agitation cannot be effected satisfactorily by mere vibration alone, the plate is supported at its one end by posts and a solenoid is used to impart an arcuate motion to the plate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-56972 discloses a spectrophotometer in which a cell holder on which a multiplicity of sample cells are set is moved linearly so as to bring the cells to a measuring position successively and then the cell holder is moved backward. In this spectrophotometer, forward and rearward driving signals are alternately delivered to the cell holder so as to shake the sample cells forwardly and backwardly thereby to agitate the samples.
In general, an automatic analyzing system is required to efficiently handle a multiplicity of samples so that the agitation is to be effected in a short time without carry-over of the reaction solutions.
The analyzing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 57-42325 mentioned before can agitate the reaction solutions by causing the reaction containers to rotate about their axes. This, however, requires a complicated mechanism for driving the reaction containers. In the apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 52-143551, samples are agitated by an agitation bar which is used commonly for the successive chambers so that carry-over contamination of samples is inevitably caused to deteriorate the accuracy of the analysis.
The apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-56972 requires a considerably long agitation time because the agitation is effected by a mere oscillation of rectangular cells back and forth.